Catholic IntelligenceA work of service to the Church

Diocese of Essen

Essendien(sis)

The Diocese of Essen is a Latin Church diocese covering the industrial Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Erected in 1958, it is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Cologne and led by Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck since 2009.

The see

Rank
Suffragan diocese
Tradition
Latin Church
Erected
23 February 1957
Latin
Essendien(sis)
Patron
Our Lady of Good Counsel
Annuario code
001001377

The see in figures

Catholics
844,188
Population
2,525,313
Catholic shareof the people living within its bounds
33.4%
Priests
356
Catholics per priest
2,371
Extent
1,877 km²
Catholics per km²
450

Figures as recorded in the register, from the Annuario Pontificio and the see's own published statements. Shares and ratios are computed from the two figures shown beside them.

The bishop

Bishop
Franz-Josef Overbeck
Born
19 June 1964
Birthplace
Marl

A see whose chair stands empty is recorded as vacant rather than filled with a guess. On what a bishop is, see the bishop.

The cathedral

Essen Cathedral stands in Essen, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.

On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.

The province of Cologne

A suffragan of Archdiocese of Cologne.

The sees of this province:

On how the Church is ordered into provinces, see the diocese.

History

Erected on 1 January 1958, the Diocese of Essen serves roughly one million Catholics across the heavily urbanized and industrial Ruhr Area of Germany. Its bishop is seated at Essen Cathedral (Essener Dom or Essener Münster), a church more than a thousand years old that once belonged to Essen Abbey. Its Latin name is Dioecesis Essendiensis.

Catholic Intelligence

Get early access

We are indexing the whole visible Church: every diocese and parish on earth, searchable and mapped, with Mass times, clergy, and diocesan contacts. Launching soon. Sign up to be first in when it opens, starting with [object Object].

One email at launch. Nothing else.

Sources

The see's own website · Wikipedia

Compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. Corrections: hello@catholicintelligence.com.